THE BEST ANSWER TO DANICA PATRICK
By STEVE KING
OK, so Danica Patrick took a shot at Cleveland at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night.
“For the last 25 years, the ESPYs has been about celebrating the magic of sports,” she said at the beginning of the event, which was telecast nationally. “No matter what else is going on in the world, sports has always had the power to inspire and give hope — unless those people are from Cleveland.”
There are several angles we can take regarding this comment.
The easy one – the one most people from Cleveland who are offended as heck about what she said, are taking – is to ask, “Who’s Danica Patrick? Is she the twin sister of former ESPN personality, and now the host of the popular ‘Dan Patrick Show’ on radio?”
No. But Patrick – uh, the smart one and the accomplished one, Dan – was born in Zanesville and grew up in Mason, near Cincinnati. So he’s a good guy. He’s a native Ohioan.
And I get that, the Cleveland retort. It was my first reaction, too.
Danica Patrick is, was or really wanted to be a race car driver, I think. No matter.
But let’s stop with that stuff and instead take the high road, and the road(s) less traveled.
First of all, if Cleveland wants to stop all these mindless potshots it’s getting, then its sports teams – all of them – have to win.
The Cavaliers have held up their end of the bargain. They won a lot the last four years, including an NBA championship in 2016.
The Indians have held up their part of the bargain. They have also won a lot since 2016.
The Browns? They’re not holding up their end of the bargain – at all. They’ve won nothing in the expansion era and are coming off a winless season and a 1-31 mark over he last two years. That invites jokes, especially since pro football is the biggest sport in the country – by far. That puts the Browns in the biggest and brightest spotlight in the city – by far.
So the Browns have to win. Period. End of statement.
And here’s the other part of this story that needs to be told. Baker Mayfield, who was taken No. 1 overall by the Browns in the NFL Draft three months ago in the hopes of being their long sought-after franchise quarterback, was in the audience at the event and did not think Patrick’s joke was funny. Mayfield was there to accept the award as Best College Athlete. The Browns are hoping he someday starts winning pro awards.
That Mayfield stood up for his new home, Cleveland, is a good sign – the nicest one of this whole story. And that Mayfield takes things personally – remember when he planted the Oklahoma Sooners flag at midfield at Ohio Stadium last fall? – is also a good sign. What Patrick said just adds more fuel to his fire, which, with all the skepticism from the so-called experts about his qualifications to be the first pick in the draft, is already raging.
